PRESS RELEASE : More new homes completed per year under Sadiq Khan than under any previous Mayor of London [January 2023]

·      New analysis shows overall housing completions under Sadiq Khan stand at over 36,000 homes a year on average, 10,000 more per year than his predecessor

·      The Mayor has also smashed records for council and affordable homebuilding, with 18,722 affordable homes started last year alone and more council homes than at any time since the 1970s

·      The percentage of affordable housing on the planning applications approved by Sadiq Khan has doubled, rising from 22 per cent during the last year of Boris Johnson’s term to 43 per cent this year

New City Hall analysis of official Government figures has revealed that more new homes have been delivered per year in London under Sadiq Khan than any previous Mayor of London. An average of more than 36,000 homes per year have been delivered since Sadiq became Mayor in 2016. This is more than 10,000 more than his predecessor, who averaged 26,000 a year.

This success on overall housebuilding has come alongside record-breaking delivery of council and other affordable homes. Affordable homebuilding is at the highest level since City Hall records began in 2002/3. Council home building is also at its highest level since the 1970s, with more than 5,000 new council homes started in London last year – more than the rest of the country combined.

Previous analysis of planning data has shown that the percentage of affordable housing has doubled on the planning applications approved by Sadiq, rising from 22 per cent during the last year of the previous Mayor’s term in 2016 to 43 per cent this year.

The Mayor announced the new findings at a “topping out” ceremony at Royal Albert Wharf in the Royal Docks this morning. Royal Albert Wharf will deliver more than 1,850 homes, of which over 40 per cent overall will be affordable, with the percentage of affordable housing increasing with each phase of development. The development hosting today’s ceremony has 50 per cent affordable housing, and the next phase of the development will deliver 76 per cent affordable housing. This major development is part of the wider regeneration of the Royal Docks area which is forecast to see over 30,000 new homes and 42,500 jobs created over the next 20 years.

Despite the huge progress being made on housing in London, the Mayor is pressing Ministers to back him to do even more to build the homes the capital needs. Recent research commissioned by City Hall revealed that London would require an additional £4.4bn annually to deliver the number of affordable homes that London needs – equivalent to more than six times the funding settlement London currently receives.

The spiralling cost of energy, wages, construction materials and financing, all threaten to make this gap even greater – the cost of construction materials increased by 17 per cent in the last year alone.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Since I was elected Mayor we’ve made considerable progress in building the homes Londoners need. We have seen higher housing completions than any previous Mayor, record-breaking levels of affordable homebuilding and work started on more new council homes than at any time since the 1970s.

“Royal Albert Wharf in East London is a shining example of the scale of our ambition, with over 1,850 homes set to be built, and the most recent development phases at or above 50 per cent affordable housing. This project demonstrates the sort of action we are taking to help build a better, fairer London for everyone.

“The sheer scale of the housing crisis in London means it will still take time to turn around, but Brexit and the rising cost of construction are also threatening to hamper our progress on homebuilding. Ministers must now respond to the housing crisis with the urgency it deserves and provide the funding and investment necessary to build the volume and quality of homes our capital needs.”

Geeta Nanda OBE, G15 Chair and Chief Executive of MTVH, said: “Not-for-profit housing associations are working hard to build the affordable homes Londoners desperately need. In the first two quarters of this year, despite the unprecedented challenges facing the construction sector and providers, we started building 1,950 affordable homes in London, and completed a further 2,800 new genuinely affordable homes in the city. However, to continue delivering the homes that are needed, we need to see further action from government, in coordination with the Mayor and partners like the G15. Alongside increasing funding for the building of new affordable homes, we need to tackle the skills gap in the industry, and to ensure the planning system issupporting sustainable development.”

Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham and Co-chair of the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone Board, said: “I am delighted with the fantastic progress being made at Royal Albert Wharf, which is an exciting new community at the forefront of the transformation of the Royal Docks.

“The completion of this latest phase will provide much needed affordable homes for local residents, as well as new leisure facilities and green space. I remain committed to working hard with our development partners, like Notting Hill Genesis, to ensure more genuinely affordable homes are built in our borough, so the achievement of these latest milestones is very exciting!”

Ben Tucker, Senior Site Manager, Telford Homes, said: “The regeneration of the Royal Docks is transforming the area into a global hub for business and creativity. Alongside our joint ventures partners, we’re pleased to be contributing to this transformation with quality housing, alongside significant contributions to the public realm and green infrastructure, bringing a unique sense of community and fresh way of living to this vibrant area of London.